Deeks' New Birthday Box Surprise
by phillydi
Summary: Deeks has to spend another birthday alone. Kensi is still on her undercover assignment, far away and Deeks yearns for a way to shed the loneliness he is feeling on this special day. Should he open THE box and find out what Kensi gave him for his birthday last year?


**Deeks' New Birthday Box Surprise**

**By Phillydi**

_It's been almost a year. And in that time, an unopened box has rested, undisturbed on the top shelf behind the bullpen. Although it hasn't been touched by its owner since then, it has definitely not been forgotten….._

Deeks sat at his desk quietly gazing up at the brown cardboard box for the last thirty minutes. He couldn't believe he was going to spend another birthday alone again. As Hetty had promised, Kensi's undercover assignment had definitely morphed into an indeterminate length of time, making Deeks a bit cranky and certainly sending him close to the edge. He had put the box up on that shelf a year ago vowing he didn't need to know what was inside. The gift was a belated birthday offering from Kensi, and it would always be the best present he had ever received… no matter what was inside.

But things had changed since she had left. He longed to be reunited with the woman who became not only his partner but his very soul. He prayed for anything that might ease the loneliness that followed him around incessantly, particularly today on his birthday. He wondered if the contents of the unopened box might chase away his sadness. He turned again to look at the box and sighed.

"How much longer?" Deeks thought out loud as he leaned back into his chair.

"Talking to yourself, Deeks?" Sam asked playfully as he rested his backpack on top of his desk. "You know what they say when you start talking to yourself? Just look at Callen," Sam joked as he watched his partner stroll through the bullpen gates.

"Now what did I do?" Callen scowled at Sam as he walked behind his desk.

"Isn't being G. Callen enough?" Sam smiled back, teasing his partner.

"Ah, huh," Callen looked over at Sam skeptically. "And what's your problem, Deeks? You look like Monty just ran away from home."

"I found Deeks talking to himself," Sam added.

"Yep, never a good sign," Callen mumbled as he removed the lap top out of his bag.

"Well, I got something that will cheer you up," Sam said as he pulled a silver tin out of his backpack. "Happy Birthday, Deeks! Michelle made you a batch of her famous snicker doodles!"

Deeks took the tin from Sam and stared down at his reflection on the lid. "This is really nice, Sam. Really nice. Thank her for me." The inflection in his voice was subdued and a bit restrained even for Deeks. Callen and Sam looked at each other aware of the real reason behind Deeks' lack of enthusiasm.

"She'll be back soon, Deeks," Sam said acknowledging his disappointment.

"Is it that obvious?" Deeks asked sullenly.

"Yeah, and it's driving me…." Callen was stopped short by the look of disapproval on Sam's face. "It's driving me to want to go over there and drag her back here myself!" Callen glared back at Sam. "Deeks, this will all be over soon enough and we can go back to being one big happy family again. I promise."

Deeks didn't reply. He only hoped Callen was right. Thankfully, his attention was diverted as Eric rallied the troops to begin their morning briefing up in Ops. As he reluctantly trudged up the stairs, he knew he'd give just about anything to have his partner back safe and sound, birthday or not! - Tired and dirty from a grueling day out on the streets of Los Angeles, Deeks walked into the bullpen alone and threw his badge and keys down on top of his desk. Chasing bad guys around was the perfect birthday distraction to an otherwise unremarkable day. The Mission was quiet and an eerie, orangey glow highlighted the walls of the building as the sun slowly set in the Valley. He found an expensive bottle of Scotch whiskey sitting on top of his desk and smiled as he read the card in Hetty's familiar scrawl. He appreciated the thought but he wasn't really in the mood to celebrate the remaining hours of what was left of his birthday. Deeks began to gather his personal items to head for home when he suddenly stopped.

"Are you leaving, Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked, appearing from out of nowhere and holding a brightly wrapped package in her hands.

"Yeah, it's been a long day, Hetty," Deeks gazed down at the Ops Manager and spied the gift she was holding. "What do you have there? I thought you already gave me a present. And a very nice one, I may add." He said pointing to the bottle of whiskey.

"Oh, this one isn't from me," she said as she handed him the rather large box. "Kensi's mother asked if I would deliver this to you."

Deeks looked surprised as he took the box from Hetty and stared down at the beautifully crafted bow and the fancy wrapping paper.

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Deeks," Hetty smiled warmly as she left the bullpen.

Deeks stared down at the box for a few more seconds and then separated the tape from the bottom and carefully began to unwrap the gift. The paper floated gently to the floor as he pulled open the flaps and peered inside. He pushed aside the tissue paper and reached within to feel a soft, spongy object. As he pulled it out, Deeks held the stuffed toy in front of his face and burst out laughing. Kensi's well-loved and cherished Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtle glared back at him ready for battle. There was a note pinned to the toy's chest:

_I'm sending Michelangelo to keep you safe while I'm gone._ _Happy Birthday, Deeks! I miss you terribly. Kensi_

Deeks smiled for the first time all day. Kensi may not be able to be with him on his birthday but this was certainly the next best thing. As he clutched the toy to his chest, Deeks picked up the rest of his gear and left the building.

_Sitting untouched and now forgotten on the shelf, the other box remains unopened…. for now._


End file.
